"Well, we are in Vegas, I would bet a lot of money that this guy comes back, probably by preseason," Buss, a Los Angeles Lakers executive vice president, said (via FoxSportsSouthwest.com) at the Lakers' summer league game in Las Vegas.

"He's real sharp at taking care of himself, and he's not going to rush anything . . . just to prove a point. He's going to come back when he's right.

"He's a machine, he's inhuman in that way. I see him coming back at the beginning of the season. I can't believe how much he's progressed so far."

Bryant said last month that he was shooting for a "November, December (at the) latest" return to the court.